Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
by orintheus
Summary: Chrom/Sumia. Implied m!Robin/Chrom. Robin finds his place among the Shepherds.


He'd passed through the make-shift campsite for over two years now and had seen the changes time had made to it. During his younger days as a Shepherd, it was large, spacious enough to fit everything and everyone, yet small enough to be practical. And in the middle years before Lucina's birth, he'd notice there were fewer tents being put up, most likely due to the en masse weddings and engagements that seemed to be happening since Chrom had taken the throne, he didn't mind this change as it seemed there were less fights and tents in this sense but the isolation he had felt initially had come back in a very different form. A form of complete loneliness in the oneness the others had found in each other.

Perhaps the most surprising was Maribelle and Ricken's engagement. He had only gone in to return the book he'd borrowed just days before and had found the two of them, backs pressed up against each other both too consumed in their books to notice the intrusion and it would've been acceptable if it wasn't late at night. Ricken was the first to see him staring and had sheepishly apologized to Robin.

They were in engaged, Maribelle had explained to him(flashing her ring a little too close to his face) but they didn't want to be wed just yet, not until they were both accomplished people. He tried to shake the image of this off before he entered the council room where he'd left Chrom and Fredrick deliberating over "Ylissean affairs" as they called it.

Chrom had only left a steward and a few trusted council members in charge while he waged war on another continent. There were steady streams of messengers and letters by pigeons, all of which he answered, personally. When Robin and Frederick had offered to answer them, he'd shook his head stating that if Emmeryn could find the time for her people so could he.

"And to what, do we owe this intrusion Master Robin?" Fredrick drawled but the tone had kept to its formal shape, Robin noted. It was something he had picked up over the years, Fredrick did indeed have a small, rather malicious sense of humour if people weren't careful about him.

Chrom smiled. "Yes, what did you need?"

"I was wondering, I-I could… If I could have a word with Chrom alone?" It was becoming harder and harder to speak to Chrom and part of it he chalked up to Chrom being named Exalt, though there were days when he doubted this.

"At once," Fredrick saluted before leaving.

Maps of Valm spread out on the table, he recalled the morning meeting. Basillo and Flavia on one side, Chrom, Fredrick and himself on another. There were rumours going around about Marth being spotted somewhere in the Carrion Isles, Chrom had balled his fist at the mention of the spectre, possibly hoping to confront her once and for all but the conversation had come back to Valm's militia, with brief mentions of Rosanne, Virion's stolen land.

He had excused himself from the meeting early, the headaches had come back on, a fierce stinging at the side of his head, he'd tried to get rid of after the war, and of course the dreams.

"Robin," Chrom started, after a few minutes of silence that had ensued with Fredrick's departure. "We've only known each other for a small number of years but I feel as though something has come over you recently. Come, let us talk."

He beckoned the younger man closer to him.

Robin took a seat beside the Exalt, not daring to get anymore intimate. He'd heard the rumours the villagers had started through Donnel, who'd innocently mentioned some less than savoury parts. Chrom, on the other hand had no issues, he leaned his shoulder against him.

"It's hard, without Emmeryn. But Lissa, Frederick and I, we're all getting along," he continued, ignoring the silence.

Robin was quiet. The warmth of Chrom made him dizzy, how he craved contact and Chrom seemed more than eager to indulge him on that.

"Yes," he spoke, surprising himself. "But I'm always here if you need me too."

Chrom nodded, splaying his fingers along the map's pathways. Protruding mountains, the mouth of a river, Robin stared entranced by it. He was relieved in a sense, that his first friend would treat him no differently than if he were married and perhaps that was more than enough.


End file.
